RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The World Health Organization’s (W.H.O.) Executive Director, Michael Ryan, was asked at a press conference on Wednesday, June 17th, whether the Covid-19 pandemic may have stabilized in Brazil. According to him, the picture “is still very severe” in the country. “The increase in the number of cases is definitely not as exponential as before. There are some signs of stabilization,” he said.
However, Ryan warned that similar events occurred in other nations. “We’ve seen it happen before. There may be signs of stabilization for a few days and then the disease takes off again,” he said, saying that Brazil is now experiencing a moment of “extreme caution”.
The WHO’s Executive Director recommended that the country should continue to focus on measures such as physical distancing, improved hygiene, preventing crowds and support to the population, particularly the most vulnerable and those facing obstacles in sustaining the recommended measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“The moment is to focus on measures,” Ryan emphasized, also mentioning that efforts are required to ensure that the healthcare system will continue to cope with the number of patients.
He ended by expressing optimism about the country’s ability to overcome this crisis.